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Review: The Devil's Prayer by Luke Gracias

(This book review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program and Blog Tours. To know more, visit here )

A nun commits suicide in front of thousands in Spain. In Australia, Siobhan Russo recognises that nun as her mother, Denise Russo, who disappeared six years ago.

In search of answers, Siobhan travels to the isolated convent where her mother once lived. Here she discovers Denise’s final confession, a book that details a heinous betrayal that left her crippled and mute, and Denise’s subsequent deal with the Devil to take revenge. In the desperate bargain Denise made with the Prince of Darkness, she wagered Siobhan’s soul.

As Siobhan discovers the fate of her soul, she learns that hidden within the pages of her mother’s confession is part of The Devil’s Prayer, an ancient text with the power to unleash apocalyptic horrors.

And now her mother’s enemies know Siobhan has it.

Can Siobhan escape an order of extremist monks determined to get the Prayer back? Can she save the world from its own destruction?

This is an unusual book and therefore I'm not quite sure what to talk about the characters in it. All I can say is that every single character is complex and not what they seem at first glance. I've never read about a more complex set of characters in any book. This book despite being supernatural in nature, is rooted in reality; rooted in the base nature of humans; rooted in greed that drives many a people to insanity.

Although, Siobhan is the main character of the book in many ways, we see less of her as the story is all about her mother. Throughout the book, we along with Siobhan learn what happened to her mother on one fateful night; a night that has caused a cascade of events to happen that would affect the world. In this process, while the story was undoubtedly interesting, I wished to know more about Siobhan herself.

Like I said before, we learn more about what has already happened than what is happening around Siobhan. We learn about the horros of a particular fateful night and the horrors it would unleash. The tale is dark and the author holds nothing back when describing the horrific scenes in the book. This is definitely not for people who do not like to read about the details of horrific crimes. I do admit it's the raw descriptions that make the story so realistic and makes us realize just the depth of hatred and jealousy that could lurk within humans.

The historical facts in the book are fascinating, so is the author's take on The Devil's Prayer. I enjoyed the way Luke Gracias spins a tale so unique and dark that one can't help but be pulled into the pages entirely. I do wish the descriptions had been a little less raw but this isn't really a complaint but a personal preference.

It was wonderful. I loved the writing so much and it was one of the contributing factors that had me hooked to the book. The descriptions of the places and historical events were done in a manner fit to be called glorious. The author has a way of writing that bring forth emotions. I found myself angry, surprised and shocked constantly. This is one of the few books that actually make me angry; angry because of the injustice brought upon the characters. The writing gives readers a connection to the characters and events that make the story more interesting.

- The writing

- The plot with so many unexpected twists

- The fact that we don't learn as much about Siobhan as we do about her mother

This is definitely not a book for the faint of heart. This book has a lot of violence depicted brutally that might give the horrors to some people but at the same time, it's also a book so masterfully crafted and brought together with great precision. I'm dying to get my hands on the sequel because the book ends in quite a shocking cliffhanger.